Perhaps I am misinterpreting your comment, but the FCC is not "removing 160 from the Amateur Band". Instead, they are proposing reallocating a portion of the band (from 1900-2000 kHz) so that hams have primary usage. Currently the Radionavigation Service has primary usage, meaning that amateur radio must not interfere with them in this space. This change would mean that this portion of the band (like the lower portion - 1800-1900 kHz) will be primarily devoted to amateur radio.

We got a band at 470kHz allocated this year at the WRC. When the Administrations get around to authorising use in any particular country is another matter, and historically, the FCC is very slow at almost everything.

How many pilots could actually use a LF/MF beacon for doing a hold these days? The ones I speak to say they have basically forgotten how, as they have had no occasion to do so for many years. Now admittedly that's in Europe, but NDBs are disappearing at quite a rate except perhaps in Siberia and the areas around there.

How many pilots could actually use a LF/MF beacon for doing a hold these days? The ones I speak to say they have basically forgotten how, as they have had no occasion to do so for many years. Now admittedly that's in Europe, but NDBs are disappearing at quite a rate except perhaps in Siberia and the areas around there.

VOR is preferred.

Unless the VOR is malfunctioning as happened on November 15 2012 at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. Some trucks being used by construction crews at the airport were parked too near to the VOR site and were distorting the radiated pattern. This caused a myriad of flights to be diverted or cancelled. It took about a day for the experts to figure out that it was the trucks and not an equipment malfunction.

That news headline was poorly worded. I have heard more than one ham say they thought it meant that 1900-2000 was going to be "reallocated" and that we were going to lose it.

Here is some more information, including links.

In ET Docket 12-338 the FCC proposes to upgrade the secondary amateur service allocation in the 1900-2000 kHz band segment to primary status, providing amateur radio operators nearly exclusive use of the band. At present, amateur use of the top half of the 160m band is on a secondary basis, shared with Radiolocation beacons that have priority over amateurs on any shared frequency.

With the availability of the GPS satellite system for civilian use, radiolocation beacons have virtually disappeared from the 1705-1800 kHz and 1900-2000 kHz bands, but our "secondary" status on 1900-2000 remains, leaving us vulnerable to the whims of Radiolocation interests in the event that they, for whatever reason, might decide to once again operate beacons in our band.

The FCC is now accepting comments from interested parties. I would encourage everyone who has any interest in 160m to file comments of your own in support of this proposal. Comments already submitted on all proposals contained in the Docket may be viewed at http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/proceeding/view?name=12-338

Here's an example of the kind of opposition we may be up against, who may file comments in opposition to the NPRM, since Lindgren Pittman Inc. likely won't want to recall and re-program units they have already sold. This makes it all the more imperative that the amateur community come up with some good well thought out responses to the FCC. What I wonder is why they didn't program the units sold in the US to operate in 1705-1800 in the first place, since that segment appears to be completely vacant, rather than risk being overpowered by hams who might not even hear them, in a shared band.

Hyperfix is a land-based, short-range, mediumwave, navigation system formerly marketed by Racal (now Thales). It was very popular with offshore oil drilling operators, and also used by a few navies. Frequencies are between about 1600 and 2500 kHz...Hyperfix is rapidly being replaced by differential GPS. The once-loud chain in Los Angeles appears to have been shut down a year or two ago.

I wouldn't suggest writing in gobbledygook as the first writer did. Notice that the second one is simple and to the point, no attempts at legalese. This is what the FCC is looking for. The writer should have included his name and address instead of just a call sign, though.

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